Believing in European bridges - Me as an EU citizen

By Rosa Stienstra

Over the last two weeks, Stan and I interviewed nine young adults from EU member states and potential future EU member states for our Peace Lab project. We wanted to explore whether their perception of the EU was different. We shared all the stories we encountered in the Facebook group Believing in European Bridges. Please feel free to join the group and engage with the stories (see link at the end of this blogpost). My main takeaway from this creative project is the following: My normal is not everyone’s normal.

Having been born and raised in the Netherlands, the European Union (EU) always seemed far away to me. I still remember the first time I encountered the concept of the EU. I was around five years old and was sitting with my mum at the kitchen table. She showed me some coins: euros. We explored the differences between the coins, and she let me guess which coin it was, based on how the sides felt. At the time, I did not understand what these new coins meant; it was just a game for me. Now I know that it was 2002 and the euro was just introduced. When I grew older, I learned about the EU in school and specifically remembered how weird it was that the parliament moves forth and back between Brussels and Strasbourg. I perceived the EU to be an institution where people with high salaries made decisions that did not really impact me. I did not realize that traveling around the EU with my family and friends, meeting people from other countries, and exploring different cultures had everything to do with the Netherlands being an EU member. All of this was possible without difficulties in crossing borders, arranging a visa, or exchanging the money I was used to paying with. 

While talking to young people from potential future EU member states (Kosovo and Serbia) and young people who grew up in EU member states, I realized how lucky I am to be born in the EU and to enjoy the perks that come with it. While it was normal for me to be a part of the EU, I realize that the EU was not always there. It is an idea created by the former leaders of countries on the European continent, and I am grateful for this. I also realized through the Peace Lab interviews that while the EU was founded on economic and political cooperation, what unites EU citizens is the free traveling and the opportunity to explore other cultures and meet people from other countries. Everyone we talked to mentioned this cultural aspect, which made me realize that the EU, as an institution, should work on strengthening the EU identity based on culture, not on politics or economics. Additionally, I now feel like a focus on cultural exchange and appreciation of the diversity of cultures and languages in the EU could strengthen the shared identity among EU citizens from different member states. 

I reflected on my own thinking and realized that it is more challenging to appreciate something that you have but did not work for, than appreciating something that you earned. Within the context of the EU, for many people, especially young people, the EU is normal. We cannot remember a life without it. In contrast, interviewees from Kosovo and Serbia, who had a chance to study in the EU, appreciated the freedom to travel and the feeling of security they experienced while living in the EU since it was a new experience for them. They hope for their own countries to become part of the EU someday, so their friends and families can experience the same. I am sure that they will appreciate the EU more than most EU citizens currently do. 

Of course, the EU is not perfect and faces many challenges. These include the economic issues with Greece, the increased flow of asylum seekers, and the current pandemic. There are differences in approaches and cultures, and they become more visible when the EU faces challenges. I also understand the argument that the EU sometimes has too much power over the domestic systems of its member states. Nonetheless, what I do not understand is how people genuinely want to leave the EU. The interviews from the project Believing in European Bridges, specifically those with potential future EU citizens, made me realize how special the EU is and that we should appreciate its existence while working on the challenges. In my opinion, leaving when something becomes tough is never the right solution.

Believing in European Bridges Project: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2553950164915502/  

Bridge in Prizren, Kosovo